Hi Ryan! I was just thinking about you! Thinking I hadn’t seen a post from you in a while, not that I blame you at all, life gets busy. And I haven’t been good at posting as much either. I think that in this poem, the boy sees the fog and the mystery of the woods around him the “ghost gums” as something magical. Even his father is seen as someonecmagical a “giant” and the boy can run around in the woods and get hurt and see his father as someone gentle and caring. But then he says he’s leaving the boy’s “mum” and the magical forest, the magic of his father the gentle giant, is no longer. The woods may still seem magic and fun, but they are t any longer. The boy thinks they should appear frightened perhaps, and dark and scary, like the words his father just said. Perhaps his father is no longer a giant he can trust, but someone who has shown cruelty in not loving the boy’s mum and staying with her. Wonderful to read your work 🙂

Hiya, Mandi. Yes, it’s been awhile. So nice to see you 😉
Thanks for taking so much time with your reading and analysis – I’m flattered. You picked up on so many things that I was hoping to convey. It gives me hope that I’m not a total flop!
I hope you’re well my friend. Thank you 🙂

this is so beautifully said, ryan. at that moment, the boy’s life changed forever and he was expecting the entire world around him to show some change as well. wonderful and good to see you and your words –

Ah, brilliant. I’m okay, crazy busy as ever but my Master’s will be done in October so the end is in sight. Thankfully, as it’s been rather challenging to juggle work and studying. Pleased you’re well though 🙂

Recent Posts

Top Posts & Pages

Ryan Stone writes after midnight. His short fiction and poetry have appeared in publications including Eunoia Review, The Drabble, Algebra of Owls and Silver Birch Press and won prizes in a number of competitions at venues including Grindstone, Writer Advice, Goodreads, Writers’ Forum Magazine and Poetry Nook. He lives in Melbourne, Australia.